Electric furnace



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A. W. GREGG ELECTRIC FURNACE Filed July 11, 1921 V 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1%/ mi /44 62g; @y

` May l, 1923. 1,453,347

' A. w. GREGG ELECTRIC FURNACE Filed July 11, 1921 i 5 Sheets-sheet 3 Q ,L5 Q /y /0/ Patented ay 1,

U NIT E T E S ALFRED W. GREGG, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WHITING CORPORATION, F

' HARVEY, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC FURNACE.

Application filed July 11, 1921. Serial No. 483,653.

T o all whom t may concewz:

Be it known that I, ALFRED W. GREGG, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Electrical Fur- Y naces, of which the following is a speciiication. l

This invention is an electricl furnace for melting small quantities of material by means of an electric arc. The object of the invention is to provide an electric motor driven furnace of this type which is very compact in construction and therefore very easily usable by a very small number of workmen, which is very efficient in operation in turning out a maximum quantity of molten metal, which can be easily and comparatively cheaply constructed and which is not liable to get out of order.

The invention consists in a device capable of attaining the foregoing and other objects and in many special features and details of construction which will be hereinafter more fully set forth in the specification and claims.

Referring to the drawings in which like numerals designate the same parts thruout the several views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation partially in section of a furnace illustratingthis invention in its preferred form. l

Figure 2 is an end view of the mechanism of Figure 1 taken from the right.

Figure 3 is a plan view partially in section of the furnace of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a central end elevation taken on Figure 1c showing the power mechanism for turning the furnace.

The furnace of this invention includes a rectangular box 1G of suitable refracting material embraced by binding and sustainingv members 12, 14, 16 without novelty herein, and therefore not described in 'great detail. Inside the box 10, which is open at the top, except as it is temporarily closed by the arch shaped cover 18 is a hearth 20 having a central island 22 of elongated form about which the metal 24 to be heated circulates these last few mentioned parts being very fully shown, described and claimed in my prior application, Serial No. 485,175,

filed July 16, 1921.

In the center of the island 22 is one carto receive the adjacent edge of the roof 18` on the inclined surfaces 32 provided for it. Rigidly secured on the ends of the box 1() are trunnion supporting plates 36 from each of which projects a trunnion 38 or 38` journaled in an adjacent vertical standard 40, rising from the ioor 42.

The furnace box 10 is provided on one end with one or more charging perforations 43 each closed by a door 44 suspended by a suitable cord, or chain 46, from a segmental Wheel 48 pivoted at 5() and balanced by an adjustable counterweight 52, slidable on rod 53.

The opposite end of the furnace boxis provided with a metal pouring spout 54. The charging doors and pouring spout are located in opposite ends of the furnace which are parallel to the common axis of the two trunnions 38---38a so that tilting the furnace on said trunnions moves it to proper posi.- tion to cause metal to flow from the hearth 20, out of the spout 54.

@ne of the trunnions 38, in the particular case here illustrated, the left hand one in Figure 2 and Figure 4. is extended beyond the adjacent support 40 and has rigidly attached to it a gear wheel 54, meshing with a worm 56 on a shaft 58 to whose opposite end is secured a worm wheel 60, meshing.

with the worm 62 on a shaft 64, which latter shaft carries a gear 66 meshing with the pinion 68 on the shaft 70 of a motor 72 supplied with electric current delivered to it from a suitable source of power thru wires 74, passing thru suitable control switches not shown, by which the operator can run and reverse the motor 72 to operate the gearing mechanism described in either direction to rock the furnace box 10 and attached parts.

rlthe gearing mechanism described is enclosed within a suitable casing 76-78 of conventional form adapted to protect it from dirt and permit its running in oil. The motor 72 is attached to this case b any suitable means, as for instance the bolyts 80.

The gearing described is rendered effective by virtue of the fact that casing 78 which forms the journal bearing for shaft 58 is held against rotation about trunnion 38 thru the agency of a vertically extending post 100, rising from thel adjacent stationary support 40, provided with a laterally finger 102, loosely fitting between two lugs 104 and 106 rising from the case. The fact that there is a loose fit between the parts just described allows for expansion and contraction of the parts under the heat of the furnace Without -danger of distorting the gearing and rendering it inoperative. The furnace is charged by tilting the counterweight 52 to'raise the door 44 to permit the inser# tion of material to be melted. The doors are then closed and fastened by eccentric cam locks 9() of conventional form and electric current is fed into the furnace thru one or more of the carbons 28 producin electric arcs at the points of contact 82, wit the central carbon 26 referred to. This, as fully set forth in' said prior applications, causes the metal 24 to become heated and to circulate in the furnace. When the heating'is completed the operatorthru suitable control de vices manipulates the motor 72 to tilt the furnace to cause metal 24Cv to flow out ofl spout 54. When the metal has been so poured,the operator reverses the movement of the motor and returns the furnace to normal position and repeats the operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A metal receiving furnace box provided with doors thru which material may be placed at one end, a pouring spout at the extending other end,'means for leading electric current into the furnace to effect melting of material placed therein, trunnions extending from opposite sides of the furnace, intermediate of said spout and said doors, journal supports for the trunnions, an electric motor mechanism supported by a trunnion for rocking the furnace on the trunnions and expansion permitting means on the support preventing rotation of the motor about the trunnion axls.

2. A metal receiving furnace box providedwith doors thru which material may be placed at one end, a pourin spout at the other end, means for leadin e ectric current into the' furnace to effect me ting of material placed therein, trunnions extending from opposite sides of the furnace, intermediate of said spout and said doors, an electric motor mechanism sustained on one trunnion for rocking the furnace on the trunnions and means preventing the body of the motor from rotating with the trunnion.

3. In mechanism of theclass described, the combination of an electric furnace, a trunnion extending therefrom, a stationary Support for said trunnion, a case mechanism also journaled on the axis of the trunnion, a post extending from the support adjacent to the case, an arm extending from the post toward the case, lugs on the case loosely fitting on opposite sides of said arm and gear mechanism contained Within the ease operatively connected to the trunnion, for the purposes set forth.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of'two witnesses.

ALFRED W. GREGG. Witnesses J. S. TowNsnNn, HARRY W. BAKER. 

